The Face of Funtom
by luckyzen13
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive, the obnoxiously wealthy CEO, is looking for a new personal assistant. When he runs into the perfect person, is it coincidence or destiny that brings them together?
1. The Interview

Ciel was no ordinary boy. That much could be seen just by looking at him. Navy blue, nearly black hair and an eye patch that may or may not be functional, the college age male stood out in any crowd. Typically dressed in gothic style clothing, many eyes followed him. Mostly girls, his fans swarmed him with attention, but without even the smallest bit of emotion touching his lips, he coldly cast them aside. There hadn't been a single person that he had ever met that had amused him, or even seemed like someone who could keep him company.

After all, he was the head of the Funtom corporation, and he had appearances to maintain. It wouldn't do to have some slut trailing behind him. Certain employes, those who were close enough to Ciel for him to consider them friends had bothered him about that matter. The matter of finding him another person.

_Maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places_, Ciel thought to himself as he prowled the college campus. He needed someone just as cold as he was, but willing to be there for him. It seemed like a servant sort of requirement – if this wasn't modern times. A butler, perhaps. Ciel laughed to himself.

Several people had stuck out to him – a blond girl his own age, a slightly older male with vivid gold eyes, and a blond boy, who must have been the same age, with sky blue eyes. There were some other people as well, but none who stuck out that much as those three. They didn't really appeal to him, though, he would send them invitations to an interview.

Ciel paced around the block that held the massive skyscraper of a building that was the Funtom headquarters, only mildly aware of his surroundings.

"Hey!" Ciel snapped, as he was knocked onto the ground, scraping the palms of his hands in the process, "Watch it!"

A shower of papers flew into the air, and two passersby scrambled to pick them up. An impossibly tall man (_at least from my viewpoint,_ thought Ciel) leaned down and picked Ciel up, without any sign of effort. Ciel winced as he was set back onto his feet, glancing at his palms to see blood and bits of gravel in them.

"You might want to pay more attention to your surroundings in the future," His voice was deep and had a British accent clinging to it.

"You're the one who crashed into me!" _You big oaf! _Ciel almost blurted out what was on his mind, but held his tongue just barely.

The older man smirked and widened his eyes, "Oh, I think not. You appeared to be on a different planet. And another dimension."

Ciel was startled to see that his eyes were a vivid shade of crimson. He felt his hands being flipped over again, palms up.

"It appears that you got a bit scraped up. Do you work around here? Since I _apparently_ crashed into, I suppose it's my responsibility to take care of your injuries."

Ciel slightly glowered at him, "Yes, I do work around here. In the Funtom building." He decided not to mention being the CEO.

The tall male waved the couple on that had picked his papers up, "Go on ahead. I'll meet you later. Call me for any reason." He turned to Ciel, "Lead the way."

Ciel walked through the crowd admiring how it subconsciously parted for the two of them. They must have made an odd couple – the small boy with the hidden eye, and the tall man with crimson eyes.

Ciel hit the elevator button, leaving a slight smear of blood on it, smirking as he did so. There were many people out in the world that would kill to have his blood – in one way or another.

The elevator dinged, and the two males stepped inside.

"Floor?" asked the other.

Ciel smirked, "I've got it." He slid a security card through a card reader mounted below the numbered buttons, and the elevator began to move.

"I suppose it's only polite to ask your name."

The tall man replied, "My name is Sebastian Michaelis. And who might you be?" With the smirk that touched his lips, Ciel knew he already was full aware of who he was. The elevator dinged, and the door slid open, Ciel walking out to turn back and wave Sebastian in.

"I am Ciel Phantomhive, and I'm more wealthy and powerful than you could care to imagine."

Sebastian smiled, "It's an honor to meet you." He nodded down at Ciel's suit, "Though I dare say I wish it was in better circumstances."

Ciel glanced down at himself, and hissed at his ruined suit, covered with blood and dirt. It appeared if he had gotten into some sort of brawl.

"Ugh..." He sighed, "Wait in here, please. I'll go get cleaned up."

A strong hand on his shoulder stopped him, and Ciel looked directly into those crimson eyes and pale white skin framed by dark black hair, "Please, won't you let me help you?"

Ciel frowned, "I'm sorry, but why would I let someone that I met off the street, much less a male, help me do something that I am perfectly capable of doing myself?"

Sebastian's voice sank deeper, "Because I know all about you, Ciel Phantomhive." Ciel shivered involuntarily at the sound of his name, "And I know that you don't know me, but I _want_ you to know me."

Ciel crossed his arms over his chest, smearing more blood. Sebastian winced, "Here, let's talk as I get you cleaned up."

Ciel led him out of the waiting area in his penthouse office and into the large washroom. The penthouse was more like a second home to Ciel, and besides his own house, there was nowhere else he felt more comfortable at. He felt he should be nervous letting Sebastian in, much less delicately clean his hands and wash the gravel out. And yet, he didn't feel concerned. In fact he felt quite at ease.

He sat on the counter and held his hands over the sink as Sebastian poured lukewarm water over his hands, tiny bits of rock falling from them.

"You really scraped your hands up."

"I've been told I'm fragile before."

"Would you like to know more about me?" Sebastian glanced at Ciel and received a nod in response, "I too, work in the business world like yourself. However, I'm more hands-on."

Ciel looked quizzical, "Please continue."

"For a while, I worked in several orphanages, taking care of children. That's how I have experience with this sort of injury." Sebastian nodded down towards Ciel's hands, which were now mostly clean, "I got out of that job recently, and I've been working as a secretary at various places." He shrugged, "It's interesting work, but I need something different." Sebastian paused and looked into Ciel's one uncovered eye, "That's when I heard about you."

Sebastian waited for Ciel to say something, "Well, okay. I believe you. What exactly did you hear about me?"

"I heard that you've been looking for a sort of personal assistant."

Ciel nodded, "Your information is correct. I am conducting a bit of a search. I'm guessing you'd like to be counted among the possibilities?" Sebastian nodded. Ciel smirked, "Just letting you know, but doing this is not going to give you a better shot at the job than anyone else."

"I know." Sebastian wrapped a length of bandages around Ciel's hands, "I'm not expecting it to." He leaned in even closer, " But I will say this again, I know you better than anyone else, Ciel." Ciel leaned back towards the mirror, "So you know me best? How old are you, Sebastian?"

"26."

"So you know, despite my young looks, I'm not much younger than you? Only three years difference."

Sebastian smiled, "That is correct. You may look like a sixteen year-old, but your mind is much more than that."

"Please," Ciel brushed the compliment aside, "I will enter you in the running for the personal assistant job, if that is what you want." Ciel pulled out a business card and handed it to Sebastian who exchanged it for one of his own, "I will contact you. Thank you for your help, I suppose."

Sebastian gave a slight bow and went and hit the elevator button, "Thank you, Ciel."

The two maintained a steady eye contact until the door closed and Sebastian was whisked away from sight.

Ciel pushed off the counter and stripped out of his clothes, leaving him only in boxers. He entered the bedroom portion of the apartment, and with a sigh, sunk into the bed. His heart was racing.

In the elevator, Sebastian lifted the business card to his nose and inhaled. The sharp, metallic tang of blood overwhelmed his senses, and his vision momentarily blurred. His fascination with Ciel Phantomhive was beginning to become an obsession, and that was dangerous.

Ciel sank under the sheets, sighing. The blinds closed and the room became pitch black. His fingers fumbled for the knot at the back of his head. The eyepatch came off, revealing an eye that was neither blind nor damaged. Instead, if it had been light, Ciel knew that a reflection of his face would reveal two startlingly differently pigmented eyes- one sapphire blue and the other an unnerving violet. Even if they had been both colored violet, in a way like Sebastian's blood red eyes, it wouldn't have been as odd. After seeing quite a few articles calling him the '_ignorant freak child in charge of more than he can handle_' Ciel informed a few select journalists that he would now be wearing an eyepatch. Since he went blind in that eye, obviously. That cut down on all the 'freak show' comments. Critique on his fashion sense was more welcome than complaints on aspects that he could not change.

Sebastian left the Funtom building and hailed a cab. He directed the cab to his apartment. The night lights of New York passed him by, blurred lines of color in the dark. Sebastian lifted the card to his nose once again, inhaling deeply. It was an obsession, he admitted.

The taxi stopped before a medium sized apartment building with two huge sycamores growing in front of the building. He paid the driver and rushed inside. Once again in the elevator, Sebastian reviewed what had just happened.

Ciel was just so... Sebastian growled as he fiddled with his door lock... so... enchanting? Even more so than the pictures Sebastian had viewed of him, so... There wasn't even a word he could think of that summed Ciel up. Perfect was close.

And obsessed.

The door finally gave in and Sebastian burst into his apartment with a sigh of irritation.

On the couch, taking up all of it, was what appeared to be a red lump. Sebastian rubbed his eyes and the red blur focused into one of his 'friends'. They weren't the best about privacy or even asking for permission, but Sebastian still considered them friends.

He sighed and went over, shoving the business card into his pocket, and gave Grell a not-so-gentle kick.

"Get up..." grumbled Sebastian. He glanced over to the other recliner and groaned again.

Another one of Grell's (and his, as well) friends, Will, was collapsed with his glasses askew. Since the two of them were here, that could only mean... Sebastian opened the door to his bedroom. No one was on the bed, or under the bed. The so-called 'Undertaker' must have decided not to tag along this time.

Relieved, Sebastian retreated back to the living room and yelled, "Get out of my apartment!" That was more than enough to wake the two up.

"Se - bas - tian," said Grell slowly, drawing the syllables of his name out, "We only wanted to have some fun..."

Will sat up and straightened his glasses, "And we would have been good, if someone hadn't decided to break out the alcohol."

"But it looked so good, Will."

Sebastian ran into the kitchen and was dismayed to see that his vintage wine had only enough left for him in it. Those two, Will and Grell, were as close as twins, and as annoying as flies. His patience with them was beginning to run short.

He crossed his arms and faced the two culprits, "Fine. This is what's going to happen. You–" he pointed at Grell, "are going to buy me another bottle of that same wine and vintage. I had that saved for a special occasion." Sebastian pointed at Will, "You are going to go with him, and make sure that he doesn't fuck it up."

"Wait," said Will, "How'd it go with Ciel?"

Sebastian couldn't help it. A perfectly devious grin, with a hint of evil, blossomed across his face.

Grell yawned, "Judging by that evil grin, I'm guessing it went extremely well."

"Oh yes. Yes, it did. I am quite excited. This will be a pleasant challenge."

Will pushed up his glasses, "We'll get going now, I suppose. I'll have your request for you tomorrow morning."

They walked out into the hall and Sebastian firmly shut the door behind them. He slouched down onto the carpet, back to the door. His phone buzzed and he checked the unfamiliar number. Pulling out the business card, Sebastian confirmed that the numbers matched. It was from Ciel –

'_Interview tomorrow at 10. Precisely 10. Don't be late._"

Ciel hit send, wondering what Sebastian was thinking. He lay in bed pondering the next day. Hm. There were four people who stood out to him – Sebastian (obviously), Claude, Lizzy, and Alois.

He closed his eyes. There was almost no need for a debate. Sebastian was the obvious choice. The other three could also become good employees, if they wanted, just not _that_ position.

Ciel smiled. It was part of his obsession to turn everything into a game. The decision had already been made, but nobody else knew that.

The night passed, sleepless for the both of them, excited in mostly the same way.

Sebastian was the first to awake. His body was warm and trembling with excitement.

He showered and found a appropriate suit to wear. While munching a bowl of cereal, the doorbell rang. Sebastian downed the last of the milk and went to answer the door.

Will was dressed in a suit that might have cut someone if it was any sharper. Grell was in a long red coat which his hair blended into. They made an odd couple, if nothing else.

"Here." Will handed him a large bottle with a badly tied bow on it, "It definitely wasn't cheap." He glanced at Grell, "Good luck Se - bas - tain!"

Sebastian smiled, "We'll celebrate if all goes right. You guys deserve that much, I suppose." He pushed his way past Will and Grell, "Don't mess the apartment up too much."

He headed out to his car, carefully placing the bottle between two boxes so it wouldn't roll about. Sebastian started his car and checked his phone once again,

"_There's a parking garage a block away from the Funtom building. Park there, and I'll see you soon."_

Sebastian smirked and began to drive.

Ciel woke up with a big yawn. He interlaced his fingers and stretched out his arms. Ciel leaned off the bed and fished for his eyepatch.

"Got it!" He exclaimed triumphantly. Reluctantly, he slid out of his bed and walked into his closet, choosing a black pleated coat, a white undershirt with ruffles and a bow, and navy blue shorts. He had many clothes in the penthouse, even more at his real house, and they were all tailored to fit him exactly.

Ciel was just about to slide on his boots, when he remembered something important. He grabbed his phone and sent a quick text message to Sebastian where to park. Ciel smirked as he decided not to tell the other candidates. Sure, this game was a little unfair, but Ciel was not known for playing fair.

This was much more exciting.

Sebastian put the car in park and climbed out, locking it as he went. If all went well, he'd open that bottle. Maybe even share it. He sighed, trying to release his excitement. His body was reacting as well. Pressing down on that bulge did not help either and Sebastian hissed in frustration.

Maybe the walk would help.

The sidewalks were busy, as they always were and people moved subconsciously out of the way for the tall man with crimson eyes.

Sebastian entered the lobby and glanced around. Crimson eyes widened when he saw another familiar face. Almost unconsciously, Sebastian strode over to him.

"What are you doing here, Claude?"

Golden eyes glanced back at him, "I feel as if we are here for a common purpose."

"He's mine, Claude. You've got your own already," he tipped his head towards the blond boy on the opposing side of the lobby, who was talking loudly on a cell phone.

"Perhaps I'm just looking for a job."

"I know that you're not. Look, this is your only warning. Stay away from Ciel."

Claude smirked, "I'm not afraid of you, Sebastian."

Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but a slightly British voice interrupted, "Oh, how intriguing. You two are already acquainted." Ciel's presence was overwhelming. All four candidates turned to face him, Alois ending his call. The CEO had a slight smile on his face that Sebastian noticed briefly, before being wiped and replaced with his typical cold look.

"I'll interview you first," Ciel pointed towards the blond girl..

"Okay!" she responded, and they headed into the elevator.

"Oh loook, it's Sebastian..." The owner of the name sighed. This would be annoying.

"Hello, Alois..."

The clingy boy was dressed in a similar manner to Ciel, but was instead wearing a vivid dark red that made his sky blue eyes stand out vividly.

"I am so glad to see the two of you together! It's just like old times, right Sebastian?" Alois pulled on both of their arms, sandwiching himself between the two older men. Sebastian gently pushed Alois's hand off his arm, who took that motion as a cue to entangle himself more with Claude. He narrowed his golden eyes, smirking. It wasn't hard to see that Claude was gloating.

The two of them began to talk in the way that only the two of them could understand– the talk of two long-time rivals.

'_I've already got one. And another one is in my grasp.'_

Sebastian shook his head slightly, '_I won't allow you to have him.'_

'_I don't see how you can win this one.'_

Ah. Sebastian smirked. This was true, '_Sorry, but I've already got the edge over you. He's already intrigued by me.'_

A quizzical look passed over Claude's face, '_How?'_

'It's a secret.'

Claude reached down and picked up Alois, and carried him to the other side of the room, whispering something in his ear. It was difficult, but Sebastian could just make out what they were saying, "Stay here. You don't need to get involved."

"Claude... Stay with me..."

"You'll be fine."

At this point, Ciel Phantomhive chose to return with the blond trailing behind him, appearing a little flushed.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and mouthed towards Claude, '_He doesn't look well.'_

'_Maybe it's that particular shade of green tinting his face.'_

'_Do you think she tried something on him?'_

Claude shrugged, _'If so, well, I would love to have been able to see how that went over.'_

'_I agree with you on that.'_

Ciel let out a huge sigh as the girl left the building. He waved at Alois, who perked up immediately, and followed him into the elevator.

'_Seems like he's saving the best for last.'_

'_Indeed.'_

The two rivals were grinning like mad men.

'_Have you revealed who or what, I suppose, we are?"_

Sebastian rolled his crimson eyes, '_Are you kidding me? It's much too soon for that..." _

In Ciel's office, Alois sat across from the CEO. Ciel leaned back in his black swivel chair, enjoying the creak of leather. Alois was leaned forward, resting his chin on interlaced hands.

"So, what happened to you and that girl?"

"Is that really any of your concern?"

Alois shrugged, "I suppose not. But at least I'd know what not to do."

"I suppose. I'll just say that we are definitely not compatible."

"Am I compatible?"

"I don't know. From what I can tell, you are very similar to myself. What do you do? Do you have a current job that you are dissatisfied with and trying to replace?"

"Well, I'm not really in an official job yet. I worked at a Funtom candy shop for a while. Now I'm mostly trying to get through college..."

Ciel had become bored and was now daydreaming as Alois continued to talk. Sebastian had just drifted into his thoughts when Ciel realized that Alois was sitting on the desk, directly in front of him, legs kicking his leather chair. Alois grabbed the chair back and pulled Ciel in closer. Ciel widened his eyes. Alois's demeanor had changed... he seemed crazed. He tried to open his mouth to say something, and found that he was paralyzed with fear. Ciel tried to pull away to no avail as Alois grabbed his face, "Let's just see what's under this eyepatch," His face brightened as the eyepatch fell to the floor, "Oh, how pretty! I hope you won't mind if I take it!"

Fingers reached towards him and Ciel tried to do something, scream, anything. And yet, no sound escaped.

* * *

**Author's Note- MUHAHAHAHA! REVIEW AND CIEL DOESN'T LOSE AN EYE. **

**(goes to a corner and sits in Ciel's leather chair and spins around, petting a black cat named Sebastian)**

**You have found my secret lair of fanfiction! Muhahaha! Please support my evil deeds by favorting, following, and reviewing! I appreciate it very much! **

**Thanks!**


	2. The Attack

Both males looked at each other, a look of concern crossing over Claude's face.

"Did you feel that?" he asked, "There was a huge surge of emotion."

"I smell fear." Golden and crimson eyes met, and panicked, both realized, "Ciel."

"Quick!" Sebastian yelled at someone who appeared to be working in the lobby, "What floor would Ciel be on currently?"

"Floor 10, I think?"

"Stairs are here!" Claude yelled, waving Sebastian over.

"Thank-" The door slammed and the two males rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time.

"Do you still want Ciel?" Sebastian yelled, not even winded, and several stairs further than Claude.

"If you can't even handle this one, how do you think you are able to deserve Ciel?"

"Argh!" yelled Claude, "It's not my fault that he's unstable! Do you think I made him like this?"

"I know you didn't, but still..."

"This is the floor?"

"Yes," stated Sebastian, "You handle Alois, and I will protect Ciel."

"Fine. "

The two burst through the door to the stairs and ran to the first door they saw, a conference room or an office, it didn't matter. The door shattered under the force of Sebastian's kick. Time seemed to slow down and the scene froze before his eyes. Blood droplets were suspended around Ciel like water in space. Alois had a knife in his hand, an elegant twisted object that was clearly not from this era. Slashes ran down Ciel's chest and face, primarily around his violet eye, and Alois was just drawing the knife from Ciel's back in, as far as Sebastian could tell, was the longest and deepest wound. He glanced behind him- Claude had a horrified look on his face. Time started again and Sebastian felt that he was moving too slowly. Claude tackled Alois and pushed him down, the knife dropping uselessly from his hands. Sebastian gently grabbed Ciel, carefully avoiding the slash marks, and brought him to the opposing corner from the other pair. He leaned Ciel's back against the wall and cupped Ciel's face in his hands and looked to see what the damage was.

He had numerous scratches around his right eye, which was horribly gouged, yet still in place.

Ciel groaned, "Who are you?"

"Ciel, it's Sebastian. We met yesterday."

"Yeah... I know who you are..."

"You are badly injured."

"I don't understand... Sebastian... Is my eye gone? It hurts so badly..."

"It's still there..."

"I'm not going to be able to see again..." Ciel sighed and went limp.

"No! Stay with me!" Sebastian yelled, tightening his grip on the now unconscious Phantomhive, "Claude! Find his address. I'm going to take him home."

Claude rifled through the drawers of the overturned desk, still pinning Alois to the floor and flung a card at Sebastian. His hand flashed out and grabbed it out of the air. Crimson eyes scanned the card, reading the address. Sebastian lifted the unconscious boy without any effort, holding him bridal style.

"Claude. I expect you to maintain more control over _that_." Claude flushed, both angry and embarrassed.

Sebastian stepped over the shattered bits of the door and headed back to the stairs, pushing the door open with his shoulder, the goal- the roof. He talked to Ciel as he ran up the stairs, "It's probably a good thing that you are unconscious. I doubt you'd want to be awake for this."

Sebastian kicked the door open and stepped out onto the roof, the wind blowing through his black hair. He addressed Ciel once more, "As you may have figured out, I am not human. I am a demon," He hesitated, wondering what else to add, "I am bound to protect you, and I will continue to do so."

Sebastian jumped.

His plan was to jump from high-rise to high-rise until he was close enough to the ground to jump safely with Ciel in his arms. This would be a faster and more effective way of reaching Ciel's home where Sebastian could begin tending to his wounds.

The metal roof clanged as he landed on the next shorter building. Leaving a dent, Sebastian prepared to jump once more. This process continued until the final jump where he hit the ground running.

"Almost there." The large house, closer to the size of a mansion, was protected by a metal fence. Sebastian vaulted the fence and shouldered the door open. He ran past two men who looked surprised at the intrusion, then shocked at the sight of Ciel.

"I need water and bandages," Sebastian spoke calmly, as to not startle them.

One of the males, with white hair and green eyes, opened a door to a bedroom and waved Sebastian in, a pale snake coiled around his shoulder and arm, "In here- says Goethe."

Sebastian gently placed Ciel on the bed and began to undress him. Crimson eyes narrowed at the damage Alois had done. Ciel's breathing was shallow and the skin around his eyes was puffed up and turning bruised. His bare chest radiated heat. The slashes were welled with blood and definitely needed stitches. Sebastian checked Ciel's back and gasped at what was the worse wound. It stretched from his shoulder blades to nearly his hips.

Sebastian sighed in frustration. The two other apparent residents returned, bearing a bowl of water and cloth bandages.

"This is what we've got..." The male with longer white hair spoke, placing the items on the bedside table.

"How can we help? Does Ciel need to go to a hospital? Says Wilde."

Sebastian thought for a moment and explained what had happened- that one of the candidates had gone crazy, and basically, attempted to murder Ciel. They nodded, still concerned.

"I would take him to a hospital, but look at this," Ciel's skin was dotted with ruby colored stars within circles, the demon pentagram, the mark of Claude Faustus, "I can reverse the effects, but anything, well, modern would make it worse." Sebastian took out his cell phone and called the Undertaker.

"Hello?"

"It's Sebastian."

"Sebastian! How are you? Do you have a wonderful joke for me?"

"Look, remember that kid I told you about, Ciel? Well, Alois attacked him and he's in pretty bad shape."

Sebastian knew Undertaker would be tracing the number and location and...

A loud bang was heard as Undertaker appeared next to Sebastian who rolled his eyes, "You've got to teach me how to do that."

Undertaker was dressed in all black with a long coat that covered up his boots, revealing only glimpses of silver buckles. He leaned over Ciel, thoughtfully examining him with eerily, vividly green eyes.

"I'm going to have to stitch up all of these slashes." He waved at Sebastian and the others, "Go off and busy yourselves. Once I'm done, Sebastian, you can work your demon magic."

The other two (Ciel's friends? Roommates?) men left and Sebastian lingered, watching Ciel breath. Undertaker gave him a quizzical look as he began to sink a needle through Ciel's skin, "Are you really going to linger and watch this?"

Sebastian shook his head, already nauseous at the sight of the wounded boy. He left, closing the door.

Ciel drifted in and out of consciousness. He could feel the needle being pushing through his skin, pulling the two edges of a slash together. At one point he woke up screaming, half of his vision gone and flickering. Every part of his body screamed along in pain, especially his back.

"Where... am... I?" He asked, trying to look around for a familiar face, "Ah, Snake..." He reached his hand out but his vision went dark once more and he fell into blissful darkness.

Ciel Phantomhive felt like he was drowning. Drowning in a cloying fog. He took a deep breath and opened his eye. His right side remained dark but a now familiar face with ruby eyes was sitting next to him. Sebastian smiled, "You're awake!"

"I feel like shit." Ciel looked down and gasped. His torso was covered with precise crisscrossing stitches.

He took a deep breath. Than another.

Sebastian watched Ciel breath, the stitches flexing with every breath. Despite his name the Undertaker was an impressive surgeon.

But this... Ciel slipped out of the bed, gingerly walking across the room, revealing the most horrendous wound curving across his back. He stumbled into the washroom, shutting the door.

Sebastian was furious. Mostly with himself, plenty with Claude, and of course with Alois. How was it that he allowed this to happen? Was there any way he could have prevented it? He had failed at protecting Ciel.

He would have to make it up to Ciel.

Ciel caught a glimpse of more stitching across his back and he turned to see better. He decided he couldn't stomach seeing another wound and closed his one good eye, the comforting feeling of darkness washing over him.

Red eyes darted up, and Sebastian rushed into the bathroom, catching Ciel as he passed out once more. Sebastian carried Ciel back to his bed, feeling a twinge of fatigue himself. Crawling under the sheets, he rested Ciel's head on one of the pillows. Sebastian wrapped his arms carefully about Ciel's waist, hugging him close.

"I'm not going to let go of you again... I'm so sorry, Ciel..." he whispered.

Sebastian woke in the middle of the night, a pressing question preventing him from sleeping. He flicked on the light and carefully examined Ciel's back. Claude's symbol was still scattered across, like a bad case of unearthly chicken pox. His fingers danced across the marks, causing them to react. They faded almost completely.

A thought occurred to him. If this was Claude's sign, was the problem just that the knife belonged to him? Or had Claude put Alois up to it, and it had gone horribly awry. Had Alois only been supposed to do enough damage to mark Ciel and got carried away? Sebastian would ask Claude, but he had to heal Ciel first.

"Ciel... wake up please..."

Ciel opened his good eye, the other one swollen shut, and spoke, "Sebastian, why are you still here, much less, why are you in my bed?"

"I saved your life. You aren't going to get rid of me that fast."

"I'm not getting rid of you at all."

"What makes you say that?"

"I dunno. Just a feeling."

"Now, please take me seriously for a minute, okay? I told this to you when you were unconscious, but now that you are awake, I'll tell you again."

"What is it?"

"Ciel, I am a demon. I believe that you are the reincarnation of a boy, also named Ciel Phantomhive, who I was in service to in the 19th century."

There was a pause and Ciel burst into laughter.

"Oh, Sebastian, I will keep you around! Ha! A demon? Reincarnation? Ouch..."

Sebastian frowned, he had expected this a little, but it was still a little hurtful.

"I can prove it to you."

"Give it a try, I suppose."

Sebastian placed his right hand gently over Ciel's damaged eye, "This might hurt," he warned. Ciel's shoulder's moved beneath him in a shrug.

Ciel felt Sebastian place his had over his damaged eye and a searing pain shot through his body. Images flashed before him, vivid in his mind's eye. _A boy with the same appearance as himself pulled off an eyepatch, revealing an eye with a pentagram burned into it... A man with black hair bowed before the same boy, his hand pressed to his chest... Crimson eyes flashed and blood splattered everywhere_... _The same boy standing in a chapel... _

The images cut off as Sebastian lifted his hand from Ciel's eye.

"You..." Ciel stuttered.

"Yes, this is my true form. I did not want you to see me like this. However it seems that there was no other way to convince you," Sebastian concentrated and shrunk back into his human appearance, "Do you believe me now?"

"Yes. Not so much about the reincarnation bit, but the demon aspect for sure."

Sebastian relaxed, "That's good enough for me."

"Get off me, you big lug!" grunted Ciel, "Are you trying to aggravate my injuries?"

Sebastian moved off of him and flopped to his side, staring into Ciel's blue eye, "Please let me stay with you."

"You can be my PA. And we'll work up to something else." Ciel ruffled Sebastian's hair, "I'm not the same person you remember, if that is true. I can't understand your feelings... I know that you feel strongly about me, in several different ways... I really have no idea right now." He sighed, "I am so confused right now. Please understand that... I just want to take it one day at a time..."

The two of them fell asleep once again, Ciel held fast in Sebastian's arms.

* * *

**Author's Note- Now go and review. I'm serious. It takes you like a minute and then I get more positive energy. It's great for everyone. That's why I like it. **

**(Spins around in chair holding Sebastian, a black cat)**

**MUHAHAHAHA. And if you do not comply to my small demands, the next chapter will be... ENTIRELY UNFOCUSED.  
Please tell me how you like the plot, because it is genius. **

**Follow, fav, review! **


	3. The First Day

Ciel woke up, sunlight streaming through his curtains. He strained to get up and realized why he could not, as a raven haired man still had his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Sebastian was still asleep (or so it appeared) and soft murmuring sounds came from his mouth that sounded like resting birds.

"Get off of me..." Ciel complained, mostly to himself, "Honestly, why did I let you sleep in my bed?"

Ciel felt Sebastian stir, as he began to awake. Crimson eyes opened and he spoke, "I still have yet to heal your eye. Stop distracting me..."

A stabbing pain shot through Ciel's body as Sebastian gently placed his hand over the damaged eye. His mouth open in a silent scream, Ciel swore that he could feel his skin moving and repairing itself. Blood leaked like tears from his eye, leaving red trails down his cheek.

Sebastian glanced at his handiwork and nodded. His mark had been placed once more and Ciel was healed. Blood drops lingered on his hands and Sebastian restrained from licking off the oh-so-tempting liquid. Ciel's scent was strong in the air and he had to admit, it drove him a bit mad.

Ciel gasped for air, opening his eyes to see clearly once more. His vision was so clear that he could see dust sparkling through the air.

"What do I look like now?" Ciel wondered, directing his gaze to the red-eyed man sitting next to him. Sebastian's face softened as he glanced at the now-healed eye, "You look perfect."

Ciel felt a slight blush tint his cheeks and he looked away from Sebastian, unable to meet his gaze, "That's enough from you... Go get ready or something. I'll meet you at Funtom." Ciel gave Sebastian a great shove, causing the other to fall off the bed. Sebastian smiled up at Ciel, still in a good humor.

"Honestly," Ciel sighed, "Is there anything I need to do for these stitches?"

Sebastian shook his head, black hair in a bird's nest of bed head, "You are asking the wrong person, but I believe the best thing to do for them is to let them be and keep them clean."

Ciel nodded, "I think I'm capable of doing that much."

Sebastian stood up and stretched, his suit completely rumpled. He went and pushed open one of the windows in Ciel's room.

"I'll see you." Ciel heard more than saw Sebastian leap out of the window and hit the ground with a dull _thump_. His head hit the pillow as Ciel relaxed once more. Sebastian was really quite incredible. It was quite surprising how this had turned out. None of this had been planned for- Alois attacking him, Sebastian being a demon, and obviously the apparent reincarnation of himself. It was quite overwhelming.

Sebastian opened his car door. He had ran from Ciel's house to the parking garage to retrieve the forgotten transportation. Undertaker was still over at Ciel's house, instructing the other two males (apparently named Snake and Pluto) on what to do if anything went wrong with Ciel's stitches. Sebastian snickered. The Undertaker was sure to give Ciel a surprise.

As the Shinigami continued their long lives, they had drifted from job field to job field. Currently they were interested in the medicinal field as well as (obviously) continuing to collect and record souls. They were impressive, impressively annoying. The Shinigami still hated Sebastian due to him being a demon who could mess up their carefully kept records, but they had come to a sort of understanding– feeding Sebastian certain souls once they had been recorded.

None of them had the same flavor he lusted for, however.

He had reached his apartment and parked below the sycamores in a rarely-open parking space. Sebastian pressed the buzzer next to his door, realizing he had forgotten his keys.

Grell opened the door, dressed in what looked like a red dress, "Sebastian? You never returned last night... What happened?" Sebastian stepped inside.

"I heard that the Undertaker had to go and completely sew up a kid. Know anything about that?" added Will.

"You know how I explained that Ciel was reincarnated? Well, it seems like Claude and Alois are still around as well."

Will thumbing through a thick book, polishing his glasses, added, "Sebastian, you might want to see this." Grell and Sebastian glanced at the record that Will read aloud, "Alois Trancy– soul lost. Changed into a demon."

"That's a problem." Sebastian was concerned, "The world certainly doesn't need a loose cannon like him running around. Especially after today. We can both agree on that, no?"

Will sighed, "I do agree with that. But this is a reason that we Shinigami do not get along with you demons."

Sebastian shrugged, "It's not my fault. I'm not stealing any souls but the ones I'm allowed to have." A thought passed through his head, _and perhaps Ciel's soul. Do what Claude did, unfortunately. _Maybe.

Ciel had just showered carefully and was now getting dressed, gently pulling a shirt over his wounds. He glanced into the mirror, having not glanced at his reflection since Sebastian complemented him.

Ciel gasped slightly. His face and his damaged eye had been healed. It was still violet but now there was a star within a barbed circle engraved onto his eye. Ciel was unsure of what it meant.

"It's the mark of a demon." A quiet voice sounded from behind Ciel. He jumped and turned to see a tall man with long, silver hair and vividly green eyes.

"You're confused aren't you?" Ciel nodded, "Don't worry about me. I'm the one who patched you up." He tossed Ciel a glass vial filled with blue and purple pills, "I'm the Undertaker," he corrected himself, "That's my name, not my job. Ironic, I suppose." He grinned, showing sharp cheshire cat like teeth, "Those are pain meds. Trust me, you'll need them. There's instructions on the inside."

Ciel glanced at the bottle, seeing a slip of paper sandwiched between the colored pills, "Are you a demon as well?"

Undertaker laughed, "No, I'm much better than their kind. I'm a Shinigami." He noticed Ciel's confused look, "You might know us as Grim Reapers. I record and judge souls before they move on. One way or another."

Ciel shrugged, "I'll believe anything at this point. Are you saying Sebastian is bad?"

"Sebastian is an angel among demons, comparatively. You are safe with him, if that's what you're worried about. Not that it matters. He's bound to you still."

Ciel pointed to his healed eye, "Is that what this means?"

Undertaker nodded, "I think that's enough information for you today. Free this time, but next time you'll have to pay."

Ciel blinked and he was gone.

"Snake? Can you drive me to work?"

Sebastian entered the Funtom building, lost in his own thoughts and barely noticed when a slight figure bumped into his chest.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ciel, grabbing his black top hat, decorated with blue and black flowers, from falling off his head, "Sebastian, watch where you're going!"

"Yes, my Lord," he whispered, his mind not yet back into the 21st century.

Ciel sighed and grabbed Sebastian by the arm and pulled him into the elevator, "I'll introduce you to my specialized security team first. I guess you both have the same sort of job."

A though passed through Sebastian's head. Security? Who could possibly be the persons protecting Ciel? He had a sinking suspicion, but he would see soon enough.

"This is the floor that I mainly work on when I have actual business work to do." Sebastian guessed that '_work_' did not occur often.

"Oh, Ciel! You're back! We're so happy that you are safe!" A slight girl with green eyes exclaimed, a straw hat tilted to the side of her head.

Sebastian couldn't help it. His jaw dropped. These people were none other than the reincarnations of the three incompetent servants. Finnian was the same (except a girl now), Bard was the same (perhaps a little younger?) and Mey-Rin?

"Where's Rin?"

"Here." A burly man with clouded glasses stepped into the corridor, stooping beneath the doorframe. Sebastian's breath caught and self-control kicked in as he managed somehow to suppress laughter. Reincarnation had not been kind to all.

"I'm Sebastian, Ciel's new PA. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Sebastian? You saved Ciel?" asked Bard.

Sebastian nodded and before he could muster an explanation, Ciel grabbed his arm once more, "Now that you're all acquainted, we must continue on. Busy, busy."

In the elevator once more, after swiping his card, Ciel slumped once more into Sebastian's arms, his stamina exhausted.

In Ciel's room, Sebastian gently set the top hat to the side on a bedside table and pulled the covers over Ciel's body. He admired Ciel, noting the black jeans and long sleeved black shirt with a badly tied navy blue silk bow.

He wandered around the penthouse, trying to learn more about this present Ciel. To Sebastian, the two time lines were blended together. It seemed like he should fall back into his old role.

Sebastian sighed as he sat on the edge of a desk, flipping through the pages of a day timer. It was filled with precisely written notes in varying size. He turned to the current day and noted one of the sketches in the margin was that of Sebastian's own faustian symbol. Sebastian felt a smile brush over his lips. Ciel was intrigued, he could tell that much. He glanced over the notes written for today, "_Introduce Sebastian to the security force... Ask more about my '_apparent_' past... Rest... Take meds... Blah, blah, blah..." _Ciel had actually written 'Blah, Blah, Blah." Nothing much had changed. Ciel still lacked a work ethic.

"Sebastian..." Ciel called from the other room. Sebastian ran back into the room, still holding the day timer. Both eyes were wide open, the blueish symbol practically glowing, "I require my meds."

Sebastian pressed his hand to his chest, an almost subconscious gesture, and replied, "Yes, my Lord."

Ciel rolled his eyes, "They're on the counter." Sebastian filled a glass with water and poured out two pills. He passed them to Ciel who gratefully swallowed them, "Did the Undertaker give you these?"

Ciel nodded, "Yeah. He gave me quite a scare this morning."

"That sounds accurate."

Ciel yawned, "Ugh... I hurt everywhere."

"The medicine shall begin to work soon."

"I know. Sebastian, who were those people? Why did Alois try to kill me?"

"Wait," queried Sebastian, "Did you know Alois previously?"

"Actually, I did. In grade school, he was an older kid that I looked up to. I decided to offer him the job after tracking him down once more. I guess he forgot about me," Ciel laughed, "Well, it has been almost 20 years. I suppose I would forget too."

Sebastian shook his head, "Alois is not a reincarnation. Him and Claude are demons as well."

"Three demons, eh?" Ciel raised an eyebrow, "How interesting."

"You sounded like you had no idea who Alois was though..."

Ciel shrugged, "It's just a game, isn't it? Does it matter if I tell the truth or not?"

"I've made it a habit to not lie."

"To each his own, I suppose."

Ciel noticed that his day timer was in Sebastian's hands, "Been going through my things? How nosy."

"I am just learning more about you."

"I shouldn't have let you sleep with me..."

"Why not?" Sebastian was direct to the point, "Are you straight? Does my caring attitude concern you?"

Ciel flushed, "I'm not exactly straight but I do not like the public seeing that side of me. Too many conflicts are caused because of it. And I don't mind you caring, I guess."

"You humans do tend to focus on petty things that shouldn't really be an issue."

"That's true. I wish it wasn't that way." Ciel shrugged, "I just don't want to be seen in a negative light, even if it isn't bad."

"I do not think you would be viewed in that light," Sebastian smiled, "After all, you are the young, handsome CEO of a large corporation."

"Are you trying to get something from me?"

"Ciel, it is only the truth." He sighed, replacing the top hat, shoving it down roughly over Ciel's eyes. Ciel pushed the hat up with a huff, "I suppose we ought to get some work done today."

Ciel groaned as he glanced at the clock, "I can't take this much longer. It's time for a snack break. Preferably something sugary. Like cake."

Sebastian glanced up from his laptop, a pair of glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose, "Shall we take a respite then?" Ciel nodded. Sebastian traded the laptop for a small tablet and continued to write as the two of them walked out of the Funtom building.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Ciel stood on his tiptoes, trying to glance at Sebastian's screen. He tilted it out of Ciel's view.

"I'm scheduling various things for you to do."

"Things for me to do? Sebastian, I don't do _things_."

"Well, you will now." Sebastian pushed up his glasses, "It's mainly PR for Funtom- and yourself."

"Really? Does it matter? A toy and candy company can't really have bad PR in the first place."

"Well, yes, but if the leader is reclusive, like yourself, it's hard to see how the company is being lead by someone brilliant, who really knows about his trade."

Ciel glanced around, noticing that the buildings were no longer the shiny high rises of the business district and had changed into decrepit apartment buildings.

Sebastian stopped as Ciel said, "Um..." He sighed, "You don't know where we are, Ciel?"

"Not exactly..."

* * *

**Author's Note- Look! A wild cliff-hanger appeared!**

**This would have been up sooner, but there was a small thing called NDK. (BTW if you are here because I told you about it at NDK- thank you! That makes me very happy that you listened to my propaganda! Tell me who you were in a review! Or a PM, I hear those exist)**

**Keep Reviewing, Favoring, and Following!**

**Thank you!**


	4. Side Chapter- Aftermath

**Warning! A wild lemon is about to appear! (Oh god, every time the word 'lemon' pops up, instead of thinking of this connotation, I think of Lemongrab from Adventure Time. . .) Enjoy the chapter :)**

* * *

He had taken a direct route off of the roof as well, only in the opposite direction. They moved quickly and no one noted the strange dark-haired man carrying a blond boy like a pouting sack of potatoes over his shoulder. The sidewalk passed quickly under Alois's gaze, counting the cracks. He glanced at his hands, licking a bit of blood off them, savoring Ciel's maddening taste. The ground had now turned into green paisley-patterned carpeted stairs as the duo entered a building.

Although it was old, the building served their purposes well and was avoided except by only the most hard-core salesmen (rumored to have never returned- which they knew all too well, was the truth).

Claude fiddled with the lock, key clicking in place. The door opened with a slight shove from his shoulder. Disdainfully, he tossed Alois onto a worn couch, the impact sending up a cloud of dust. He turned to exit the room and took a few steps before quickly turning back.

_Smack! _

The sound reverberated through the room, Alois's head snapped to the side with the force of impact. Claude's palm left a distinct red mark on his face. Alois held his cheek, feeling the blood throb to it, and looked up at the culprit through lidded sky blue eyes. Claude shook his head (in disappointment) and left the room.

The sound of running water trickled into the room as Alois deliberated his actions from earlier. He had done just as Claude had asked. And Ciel hadn't died, so why did it matter? Alois decided that he had gone a bit too far, but it did not matter. Ciel was poisoned and that's what mattered.

Claude stepped back into the doorframe and nodded for Alois to follow him. This had become a habit. No matter what, no matter how bad the day went, regardless of how pissed-off Claude was at Alois, or how badly he had misbehaved, they would always end their day like this.

The bathroom was large and (unusually) had large ceiling to floor windows looking out over the cityscape of New York. The sun was just beginning to set and the room was cast in a passionate orange glow. Steam rose off the water, clouding Claude's glasses. He removed them and set them on a counter, revealing slit-pupil golden eyes. Alois had already slipped out of his clothes and was relaxing in the large claw-footed bathtub. The lavender water filled the air with a tranquil scent. Claude felt his annoyance with Alois seep away into the hot water as he joined the younger male.

He began to bathe Alois, rubbing soap through his blond locks. Small noises of pleasure escaped his lips, sounds that Claude had been used to for many years. It still made him smile to know that this was the one constant that they could continue to look forward to.

"Kiss me, Claude."

That was all the encouragement he needed to stop rinsing Alois's hair and pull him forward, roughly pressing their lips together. His hands moved down to Alois's waist, pulling the boy to sit on top.

"Ah..." The two demon's tongues brushed together, Claude nipping at the other like he did such a long time ago.

Claude pulled away, just so he could stare at the handsome boy before him, water dripping down his flawless white skin.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry what?" Alois demanded, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, your Highness," Claude paused as Alois sighed at the sound of his favorite pet-name, "You did just what you were supposed to do. I told you to mark and poison him. You did just that. Our plan is just fine."

A smirk blossomed across his face, "Since I did so well, might I get a reward?"

Claude sighed and glanced away, in a teasing mood now, "Oh, I don't know. I am rather tired. It's been a big day, now..." His hands danced over Alois's thighs, tantalizing him and eliciting shivers, "Maybe we should just sleep..."

Alois pulled the plug, the tub beginning to drain, "Claude... We're demons. Sleep is unnecessary..." He crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue, a faint symbol glowing in the dark, "It's an order, Claude."

"Yes, your Highness." Claude lifted him out of the tub and stepped carefully onto the tile.

The bedroom was about the same size as the bathroom, the primary feature being a large four-poster bed with what would be ruby and gold (if there was any light) curtains draped around it. Claude pushed aside one of said curtains and laid Alois gently on the covers. He drew the curtains, all light being blocked out. The only aspects that kept Alois from panicking was his hopefully comforting weight and the glow from their demon eyes - blue and amber.

Alois pulled him down into another kiss, rougher this time with the taste of mingled blood. Long nails dug into the bedspread as Claude gently pushed into Alois, moaning in harmony. They rested for a moment as Claude buried himself to the hilt.

"Are you ready, Highness? Are you prepared for some simply demonic sex?"

Alois snickered, "Claude, please. It's not like this is my first ti-" He gasped as Claude began to thrust, expertly hitting the spot that set his nerves on fire. Alois could feel Claude slipping slightly into his demon form, the sound of acid hitting his back with a sizzle alluded to that.

Maintaining their human appearances proved too difficult as they both slipped into their demon forms. The night was rent with sounds of pleasure and unearthly moans.

Sometime later, they both convulsed and came simultaneously. Claude collapsed next to Alois, pulling the covers over the both of them.

"Today was successful was it not?"

Silence met Claude's ears as Alois was already fast asleep.

"I do love you."

* * *

**Author's Note- Ack soooo close to 1,000 words... Oh well (well, this end bit pushes it there, but not the story. I wish I could write 4,000 words each time (so it looks super long) but that's hard and it's okay. I'm the only one who cares that much XD). Hey, if you are disappointed but the descriptiveness of the smex, it's supposed to be more about how Claude and Alois interact, rather than smut. I also hate how Alois's name is spelt. It needs a 'u' or an 'e' (in my opinion). Alouis or Aloise. See? Better? Lol this chapter has more views than the previous chapter wut that doesn't make sense. **

**Um imma go sleep now lol (3AM). Happy double update, I guess. Kinda. Enjoy. Thanks. **


	5. Demonic Venom

"Hm..." Ciel turned in a circle, observing his surroundings, "This area is not familiar to me at all."

Sebastian let out a heavy breath, "I can call us a cab, I suppose." He was startled when Ciel stepped closer to him and grabbed his arm, whispering, "Don't look now, but these thug-looking people have been following us for the last couple of blocks. I took a bunch of turns to throw them off, but they did not stop and we're lost now."

Sebastian reached into his jacket, feeling for his daggers, ready to protect Ciel in a second if he were to be threatened.

"Hey, kid!" yelled one of the thugs, "What's a classy person like you doing down here?"

"Yeah, kid!"

"I bet you have a lot of money! Why don't you drop it and you and your friend scram?"

Sebastian stepped in front of Ciel, noticing the boy reach into his pocket and press a button with an almost inaudible click.

"Oooohhhh, so Wolverine here is going to protect the midget?"

Sebastian knew that they were referring to the way he held the daggers between his knuckles and took it as an opportunity to show off his marksmanship. A dagger flew through the air with a whistling sound, knocking the gun out of the thug's hand and pinning it through the trigger to the ground.

They extended uncertain glances that turned even more petrified as a black car pulled up behind Ciel and Sebastian, spilling out the security force. Rin had removed his glasses and was now pointing two large pistols at the thugs. Finnian was dressed in black body armor and standing in a fighting stance. Bard had a lit cigarette between his teeth and was holding what looked like a small rocket launcher.

Sebastian glanced at Ciel who was smirking, "I'm glad to see that I have more than competent bodyguards." He turned to Sebastian, "Well, demon, show me what you can do." He gestured to the thugs, "Don't kill them, but show them I'm not to be messed with."

A dagger flew through the air, another one following it, knocking another pistol out of the thugs hands. Several more followed, all hitting precisely, disarming the targets. All of this happened in a few seconds, the demon barely appearing to move.

Heeled shoes clicked on the pavement as Ciel approached the terrified thugs, Sebastian following close behind. The tip of his shoe pushed into the face of the fallen leader, "So, who sent you? Who do you work for?"

"Lau," the man gasped.

"Oh, really?" Ciel's face brightened, "I need to talk to him, so why don't you lead the way?"

Sebastian collected his daggers, while the security team 'oh-ed' and 'aw-ed'.

"Your aim is deadly accurate, oh yes it is!"

"That was so cool, Sebastian!"

"Yeah, that was pretty neat."

Ciel turned back and nodded for Sebastian to follow, "You three can return. I'll be safe with Sebastian."

The trio saluted, "Yes sir!" They returned to the car, a screech sounding as they drove off.

"So, who's Lau?" Sebastian asked, already quite sure of the answer.

"He's the trade director for Funtom in Asia and Australia. Well, not exactly Lau himself. Anyway, I'm sure you'll understand."

They followed the minions down a rusty flight of stairs leading to what sounded like a club. Inside, the darkness was broken up by flashing lights and a background of loud electronic music. Sebastian winced as his sensitive hearing was assaulted by too much noise. They were lead past scantily-clad asian dancers who waved at Ciel and into a brightly lit room. The door closed behind the two, shutting out the music.

"Welcome, Ciel Phantomhive," a low voice spoke and two immodestly dressed girls pilled aside silk curtains to reveal two people sitting cross-legged on a pile of cushions. One was a very old wrinkled asian woman and the other was a small child whose eyes were closed. He couldn't have been much older than ten. Both were dressed in flowing kimonos.

And for the second time that day, Sebastian was again humored by the ironic reincarnations.

The small boy (Sebastian guessed that he was Lau) whispered to the grandma (who must be Ran-Mao) and she spoke for him, "Lau welcomes you here." She paused and listened to him once more, "He apologizes for his underlings, but is very impressed with him." Ran-Mao raised a wizened finger and pointed at Sebastian.

"Ah, you are too kind."

"Lau says that he would pay you a great deal if you were willing to hire him out."

Ciel had sat down on one of the cushions opposing the couple, "I apologize, but he's not for hire." Sebastian kneeled next to Ciel, his height seeming inappropriate compared to all the smaller people.

"Anyways," Ciel continued, "How is business in Asia and Australia profiting?"

They continued to talk about business and Sebastian's thoughts began to drift. The biggest problem that continued to nag him was Alois. When had he become a demon? Did Claude turn him and why? Furthermore, what was Claude's goal? Why had Alois attacked Ciel? Hadn't Claude given up on Ciel, given up on getting his soul? Obviously not. His preconceptions were being shattered.

He felt his ribs being nudged and glanced over to see Ciel, "Sebastian, I'm not feeling well." Sebastian frowned as he noticed small beads of sweat spotting the boy's forehead. The heat radiating off his skin was distinct to the touch as Sebastian checked his pulse. Ciel's heart was racing.

"Are we finished here?" Sebastian asked, directing his question towards Lau, who nodded. Ciel stood up, visibly shaking. Sebastian grabbed his shoulder, steadying the boy, "I'd like to stay longer, but it seems that my injuries are troubling me more than anticipated."

Sebastian lifted Ciel into his arms, an all too familiar look crossing Ciel's face, "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes, it is," responded Sebastian, "I know you don't like me carrying you, but this is the most effective way." Ciel sighed and reluctantly held onto Sebastian. He closed his eyes, feeling sweat drip down the bridge of his nose as Sebastian ran up the stairs and back onto the sidewalk at a nauseatingly fast pace. Ciel rested his head on the demon's broad chest, listening to his irregular heartbeat.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I believe that the Shinigami may know more about your condition than I do. I'm taking you to their office."

"Oh," Ciel whispered, "That makes sense, I suppose."

Sebastian ran past the decrepit buildings back into the high-rise district. Umbrellas opened around him as it began to rain. Ciel shivered as the frigid drops hit his bare skin, "Ah, it's cold. It feels nice though. . ."

"Just a few more blocks and we'll be there." He picked up his pace, the last few blocks passing by in a flash. Sebastian stopped before an austere modern building. The door slid open for him, his shoes clicking on the polished obsidian floors. The layout of the lobby was similar to that of the Funtom building, but the only spot of color in the monochromatic scheme was the secretary.

That secretary was dressed in a blood-red coat that matched his long ruby hair. He looked up from his computer and noticed Sebastian dripping water onto the floor, holding a small boy in his arms.

"Sebastian, I feel that this is not just a friendly visit."

"I'm afraid not, Grell." He set down Ciel, "Can you stand?"

Ciel nodded, "I think so. For now at least."

Grell walked over, tall heels tapping on the floor. Ciel glanced up to see his second Shinigami, who really didn't look like anything other than a normal (but flamboyant) male, until he opened his mouth to speak, revealing a mouthful of sharp shark-like teeth, "This is Ciel?"

A yellow-green glance skimmed over his body, "Still a midget."

Ciel opened his mouth to retort, Sebastian interrupting him, "Is the Undertaker or Will free at the moment? It seems that Ciel was poisoned."

"Yeah, let me give them a call." Grell stepped away, flipping a cell phone open, and making a quiet comment that Ciel barely heard, "Poor kid..."

Sebastian turned his attention to Ciel. He untied and retied the silk bow at his neck, Ciel surprisingly not protesting. Ciel grabbed his hand and stared intently at the black mark, reading the word inscribed between the points of the star, "Tetragrammaton?"

"Do you wish to know the meaning?" Sebastian moved his hand and rebuttoned Ciel's shirt, pushing the buttons back into place.

"Yes, I do."

"Tetragrammaton is the English translation for the Hebrew word 'Yahweh'. It could also be translated as 'Lord'."

Ciel's eye grew wide as a thought passed through his head. Could Sebastian be the original demon? The Lord over all satanic creatures? He looked back down to Sebastian who was fixing his bootlaces, tying them into a neat bow. _No_, Ciel decided, pushing that thought out of his mind. He wouldn't pursue that question further.

Sebastian returned to standing as Grell finished his phone call, "Doctor Spears shall see you upstairs."

In the elevator Sebastian decided to caution Ciel, "I've been around the Shinigami for over a hundred years, so I've gotten used to them. However, you are not used to them. I understand that they are. . . odd, but they have good intentions."

Ciel shrugged, "They seem fine to me."

Sebastian smiled, "Excuse me, but you know nothing. They are cruel, selfish, and incredibly focused on any task set before them. The Grim Reapers are extremely dangerous." His fingers brushed over Ciel's chin, "But I will make sure no harm comes to you."

The door opened to reveal Will dressed in a sharp suit, covered by a white lab coat, holding a clipboard.

"I am Dr. Spears. It's an honor to meet you once more, Ciel Phantomhive."

"Thank you for taking the time to take a look at my injuries."

"Please, come this way."

Ciel and Sebastian followed him into a sterile, typical hospital room.

"If you'll sit there, Ciel and remove your shirt, that would be helpful. I'll ask you some questions that can help us narrow down the cause of the problem."

Sebastian stood to the side, watching Ciel unbutton his shirt, feeling unhelpful. The stitched-up wounds were revealed, which looked fine, if one ignored the pox of symbols dotted about the wounds.

"What weapon did Alois attack you with?"

"It was some sort of knife. It was twisted in an elegant sort of way. . . I could draw it for you if you like."

"That would be helpful." Will passed his clipboard to Ciel, a blank piece of paper attached to it. Ciel took the pen and began to draw, occasionally closing his eyes to remember more clearly. The other two males waited patiently for him to finish the sketch.

Will narrowed his eyes at the finished drawing, "Ah, one of the rare demon weapons. It's known as the 'Spider's Bite'. That would explain why you are poisoned."

"Poisoned?" exclaimed Ciel, "How so? What exactly does that mean?"

"I assume that Claude was trying to capture you for his own and take your soul."

Sebastian nodded, "I did converse with him before the attack and he did mention that he did want to stake a claim on Ciel."

"Wait," Ciel looked confused, "What the hell are you two talking about?"

"I believe Sebastian can explain the situation best."

"Ciel, your soul has a certain taste to us demons. It's an incredibly rare flavor, caused by the collective hardships in one's life. In the past, you survived through what would cause most ordinary humans to give up entirely on life and die. You fought. And on your darkest day, you called me to Earth. That's a different matter, however. Your soul. . ." Sebastian inhaled deeply and when he opened his eyes, the pupils were slit and the iris glowed blood-red.

Will glanced at Sebastian briefly, "Please wait in the hallway." Sebastian instead took a step towards Ciel, fangs resting on his lips. Ciel glanced at Sebastian, his pupils contracting with fear. There was a flash of metal and Sebastian was pushed away from Ciel by what appeared to be a a pruner, the sharp blade pressed against his chin, "Step into the hall, you dog, or I will not hesitate to make your hundred year wait all for naught." Sebastian snarled but backed out of the room into the hall.

There was a _pop_ and the Undertaker appeared in the room. Will pushed up his glasses with the pruner and cleared his throat, "This is why I cannot stand demons."

The Undertaker laughed, "Indeed, Sebastian does seem to be more concerned about you than he lets on."

"What?" Ciel was confused and a bit scared, "He just tried to attack me and you call that concerned?"

"Well, yeah. That's Sebastian for you."

"Whatever. How does this poisoning affect me? Do you know of the cure?"

The Undertaker snickered, "There are several ways. I'll give you a list and you can pick the option that you'd prefer to take."

Ciel sighed, "Well, that seems easy enough."

"No one said it was difficult," Will interjected, "However, you are still running a fever and I know that you are feeling very unsteady."

Pen scratched on paper as the Undertaker wrote down a list of solutions, "Some of these may seem unusual, but they will fix you."

Ciel reached for the sheet of paper in the Undertaker's outstretched hand but the recovered (apparently) Sebastian snatched it first. Ruby eyes skimmed over the list of cures, before he folded it and slipped the paper into his jacket.

"Thank you, Undertaker. I will call you when we have reached a solution." Sebastian bowed gracefully before grabbing Ciel's arm and leading him out of the room.

The Undertaker waved, "It's always a pleasure to have you here, Sebastian." Will stayed silent and pushed up his glasses again. Once they were out of earshot, he spoke, "We cannot afford to take the threat of Alois and Claude lightly. If they are recovering the demonic weapons, we will have a whole different problem on our hands. And that will mean overtime."

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**Author's note- If you heard about this from NDK, please review saying who you were (still) cause that's cool and stuff.  
**

**Keep up the awesome reviews! They make me so happy and encourage me and stuff. Review all the chapters! Um, I really don't have anything else to say except keep reading. It's going to get a lot more awesome.**

**I do like reviews that are also like 'Hey you need to work on this' or 'Your flow is whack, man' or 'You misspelled blah in section 4 paragraph 2' or 'You should improve on this' or 'Hey this question has not been addressed and I have OCD and fix it brah plz'. Stuff like that is great. Just as a suggestion for the future. Or the past. Or the present.**


	6. How to Cure a Spider's Poison

"Sebastian! Stop it this instant!" The smaller boy stood on his tiptoes as Sebastian held the piece of paper out of his reach, "I know I'm short, but you don't have to rub it in! Besides, I need to know what the cures are."

"You seem rather enthusiastic about this. Here." Sebastian handed the paper to Ciel and watched his face turn beet red with embarrassment.

"Absolutely not. I can't do any of these."

"And why not?" They had reached the penthouse of the Funtom building and from the look of how Ciel had been quick to lie down on his bed, Sebastian wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

"These aren't cures! They're like some sort of fetishes. . ."

Sebastian read the list over again –

1. Kiss a demon.

2. Make passionate love with a demon.

3. Get saliva from a demon. (See option 1)

4. Break the weapon.

5. Force the demon to cure you.

6. Get some demon blood and rub it all over the demon-pox.

"And none of this is scientific at all. Demon-pox? Aren't I poisoned?"

"Side effect," Sebastian glanced at how the list was organized, "It seems that the Undertaker is referring to different persons as well. The first three must be about myself. Option four would be Alois. And the last two must be Claude."

"Anyway, why are all the sexual ones directed at you?"

For once, Sebastian was at a loss for words. How was he to explain that the Undertaker was a huge fan of their former lives? To put it mildly, their biggest supporter.

"Um, well. . . That would be spoilers if you really don't want to know about your past."

"Spoilers, huh? I don't think I'm ready for my past," Ciel did finger quotes as he said '_past_', "Looks like the simplest option is to break the weapon."

"Really?" Sebastian's face fell, "Aw. . . I was looking forward to kissing you." Ciel blinked and looked up to see Sebastian crouching over him, "Maybe we can do two options?"

"Ah. . ." Black nails grazed over his cheek, a pentagrammed hand cupping his chin, the other one removing his eye patch. Ciel closed his eyes as rough lips pressed against his. He turned his head to the side, trying to protest, "Ah, Sebastian, no. . ." Sebastian's tongue was quite rough, Ciel noticed, and he tasted quite delicious. Sweet dark chocolate with a bitter bite, a delicate fruity wine. It was such a sweet temptation that Ciel no longer wanted to pull away. It seemed so familiar in such a strange sense.

Ciel still tasted sweet, oh so sweet. Sebastian purred as he tried to control his sudden lust for Ciel's soul. It was so close. . . He pulled away, a single strand of saliva connecting their lips for a moment before it broke. A deep breath pushed out the thought of stealing his soul, calming the demon. He glanced down at Ciel, the boy flushed and panting, his shirt somehow open to show the pale skin of his chest. How handsome.

Ciel was surprised at the warmth of the kiss. It was loving and tender just like- "Shit!" exclaimed Ciel, "My fiancee!"

Sebastian's jaw tensed, his mood changing from loving to one of fury, "Don't tell me- her name is Elizabeth, correct?" he growled.

"E- l- i- z- z- b- e- t- h," Ciel spelled out the name, "Lizz for short. It's not my fault anyway - my dead parents decided it."

"Why must you always have a fiancee? Especially her? Dead parents? How caustic, Ciel."

"Spare me the euphemisms- I've heard enough of those to last me a lifetime. And it's not that I feel guilty for kissing you."

"Oh, you kissed me now?" interrupted Sebastian, undoing the buttons of Ciel's shirt to examine the demon-pox.

"But because she's visiting this week. Lovely, no? Maybe this could be the start to end my relationship with her. After all, my parents are dead, right? They don't really have a say."

"You should honor their wishes." The halfheartedness in Sebastian's voice was palpable.

"I think not. How do they look? Am I healed?" Sebastian rubbed his fingers over the tiny pox marks. They shrank away from his touch, but were still vivid.

"Not quite yet, I'm afraid. Perhaps another kiss would help?"

"Mm~" Sebastian's eyes widened as Ciel wrapped his legs around his chest, arms around his neck, a spark going through his body as their lips touched again. His face grew warm as they switched positions, Ciel kissing down his neck and back up to his mouth. It was rougher this time, but not any less sweet. Sebastian knew that his saliva, blessed (or cursed) with several different properties would be lowering Ciel's inhibitions and numbing his pain. Demonic venom could be used both ways- to relieve pain or to give pleasure. Or perhaps it had a different effect on this Ciel, who broke away from the kiss, sitting satisfied on his torso with a smirk upon his face.

"You're blushing so much right now, Sebastian." _Ah, perhaps it had backfired_, considered Sebastian, feeling quite out of it. Why would it work any different?

"Are you thinking about going further?"

"Ah, my Lord," A black nailed hand reached out to touch Ciel's face, but missed by several inches, his vision turning blurry. Ciel bent down again, tongue dipping into his mouth, "You do taste intoxicating, Sebastian. Like a bitter drug that I want more of. . ."

A solid smack snapped Sebastian out of his daze, his vision clearing as his cheek stung, "However, I take my relationships in stride, Sebastian. If you think you're going to get this ass soon, well, you're wrong. That's something you earn."

Sebastian stared up at Ciel, stitches zigzagging across his chest, a painful reminder of his mistake, "Of course. I would expect no less of you. If that is what you wish, then I shall make a plan to attack Alois and Claude. This should keep the symptoms at bay until I can break the Spider's Bite."

"I want my revenge too!" snapped Ciel, gesturing to his chest, "I want to make them suffer, those who dared to scar me like this."

Sebastian grinned, the contract symbol glowing more vividly with Ciel's passion. This was Ciel Phantomhive through and through. No matter how long his soul waited, it still wanted revenge.

Delicious.

"Um," sighed Ciel, still half-asleep, "Good morning, Sebastian. . ." His eyes opened wider, "Sebastian? In my house again, much less my bed? Get off me, you stalker!" He pushed on Sebastian's arms, the demon refusing to let go.

"Ah, so fussy in the morning. Just relax. . . And we're at Funtom, not your apartment."

"That makes things easy for me, I suppose. But what about you, Sebastian? Don't you have a life of your own that you need to attend to?"

_You are my life_, Sebastian desperately wanted to say before dismissing the sappy sentiment, "Well, no. I don't have another job to worry about. As for my car and apartment, I'm sure the Shinigami are keeping an eye on it."

Ciel snorted, "I wouldn't trust them to take care of a plant, much less a car or apartment."

"You've got a full day ahead of you, Ciel."

"Not especially. Lizz is here today, so anything important is delayed."

Sebastian sighed, "Today? Really?" _It's a wonder that the Funtom Corporation is so successful when the CEO is such a slacker_, he thought.

"You look dashing," Sebastian complemented Ciel as they waited for Lizz to arrive at the teahouse. It was if they had stepped back into the nineteenth century, the room illuminated by sparkling chandeliers and decorated with tasteful blue and gold wallpaper. Ciel was dressed in a long royal blue asymmetrical jacket that trailed off the chair and black shorts that hugged his hips. A waiter poured Ciel a cup of the distinctively scented Earl Grey, leaving the teapot.

"Thank you, Sebastian, I suppose." Ciel's eyes widened as Sebastian expertly poured himself a cup of tea, holding the pot at least a foot above the cup, not a drop of hot liquid escaping. He sat down, smirking, "It's been a long time since I've done that."

"Impressive, I suppose," Ciel glanced towards the entrance of the room, "Ah, there she is."

Blinding pink was all that Sebastian saw. Lizz was dressed in a frilly pink dress with more ribbons and lace than was necessary.

"Don't say anything weird, okay? I'm going to explain why I'm breaking off the engagement."

"Were you already planning to cancel the engagement?"

"Actually, yes. You just solidified my decision."

"Ciel!" a high pitched, girly voice exclaimed, Sebastian wincing as his ears were assaulted by her greeting, " Ciel! It's been so long since I last saw you! And oh, New York is so much more glamorous than the _dull_ countryside." Ciel glanced at Sebastian, uncomfortable as Lizz's chest pressed into his shoulders. _If looks could kill, _he thought, _Lizz would be quite dead from that crimson glower._ He kissed her cheek, trying to be polite.

"It's wonderful to see you as well, Lizz. How was your journey?" He pulled out a chair for her before sitting down.

"Better, now that I'm seeing you." Her gaze turned to Sebastian, calmly sipping his tea, "Who's this?"

"This is Sebastian, my new personal assistant. Sebastian, this is Lizz – my fianceé."

"It's nice to meet you." Although Sebastian's reply was unenthusiastic, the blond did not seem bothered.

"Ciel, you aren't wearing the clothes I sent you. . . Aw, I designed them myself."

"I'm not a girl, Lizz. That outfit showed way too much skin than I'm comfortable with."

Sebastian had seen Ciel try on the outfit earlier. Flattering as it was, and Sebastian told Ciel that, the back was open to reveal the deep, curving wound. It wasn't a matter of how much skin was revealed (Sebastian had seen plenty of controversial pictures of the CEO in magazines) but Ciel didn't want to scare Lizz by showing off his recent wounds.

"Elizzbeth! That's rude! You can't just outright ask someone if they're albino!"

"I thought. . . because. . ."

"No, Lizz!" Ciel sighed and Sebastian wondered what exactly he had missed, "Anyways, I invited you to come here to talk about something important. This may be tough for you to hear, but it's the truth." Lizz's face fell, a concerned tone in her voice, "Whatever do you mean, Ciel?"

"Look, Lizz. My parents are dead and their wishes no longer apply. I've been an adult for long enough that I can make my own decisions. You've never been my type, Lizz, and I certainly can't marry my cousin. I love you like a family member, which is what you are. I just don't want to make a commitment for the rest of my life to something that's only real for one of us."

Tears formed in her green eyes, "Ciel, you're joking, right? You can't break this engagement off." Ciel took her left hand and slid a ring off. The faintest glimmer of blue caught Sebastian's eye. It couldn't be. . . There was no way. . .

"I'm sorry, Lizz, but I'm completely serious. The next time I see you, it'll be as family, not in marriage." He handed her a tissue, "I've called you a cab and I'll pay for your flight tickets back, if that would help."

She stood up, tears rolling down her face, "At least you're honest, Ciel. Even if you are a heartbreaker." Lizz flounced off, Ciel looking away. Once she was gone, a smile flickered across his face for an instant, "I've been meaning to do that for quite some time." He finished the rest of his tea, Sebastian pouring him another cup.

"That was quite brave of you, Ciel."

"Ah, yes. I suppose it was." He took a thoughtful bite of strawberry shortcake, "So, would you like to date me, Sebastian? You are quite odd, but I find you attractive and entertaining. Are you up to the challenge of dating me? I warn you, I'm full-time."

Sebastian leaned forward and took Ciel's hands in his, "And that's why I love this time period so much, because this is acceptable. We no longer have to hide. In other words, yes Ciel. Treat me as you like because I will never leave you. More than just this," he let go, brushing over the eyepatch, "so much binds us together. Until the end, I will be by your side."

Ciel opened his hands to reveal a silver ring encrusted with diamonds, a large blue stone held by twisted silver prongs, "I know it's kind of old but-" Sebastian interrupted, "Ciel, where did you get this ring?"

"It's been passed down in my family for generations. Why?"

"The previous Ciel wore this ring. It's incredibly important to me." Sebastian smiled, "But what?"

"Can you wear it?" Ciel looked away, blushing, "It's my way of showing that you're mine."

Sebastian slid it on, a snug fit on his ring finger, "Thank you, Ciel."

"Let's go," Ciel placed a hundred dollar bill on the table and stood up, "We've got much to do and I want to get started."

Sebastian smiled and followed Ciel out of the room. It had begun, Ciel's wish for a second chance.

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**Author's Note- Yay! A new chapter! Mmmm sexah Sebby. Yup, that's all you'll see of Lizz. Unless she decides to show up again (doubt it).**

**Face of Funtom also has a prequel- Tangled Destinies go read that too or else you will have questions that won't be answered here. **

**Keep encouraging me with your reviews!**


	7. His Business

**Note- Go read Tangled Destinies if you haven't yet. Otherwise you're only going to get half of a story. Thank you. Now, enjoy! **

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Ciel stared off into space, feeling quite satisfied with himself. Sebastian would be the first person that he had dated (legitimately) without being engaged. _Ah, my life is becoming slightly more interesting._

Black nails tapped on the keyboard, unlike Ciel, Sebastian was doing work. The blue ring glinted at him. It was so much than just an antique, the stone the same color as Ciel's aura, his energy and, consequently, his soul. That hunger did still persist, but after a hundred years it was only a mere headache. More like a migraine now due to Ciel's presence. That was Sebastian's conundrum, to devour or not to devour? Would he be bound to kill the boy because of the contract. Or did it not apply to a reincarnation? The mark he had replaced on Ciel's eye was not that of the contract. It was merely a ward, to keep any adverse symptoms at bay. They were still bound together by much more than fate. He glanced up at the CEO, admiring the slim boy, before crumpling up a sticky note and tossing it with precise aim.

The paper hit his eyepatch with a _tap_. Ciel raised an brow, looking towards the PA, sitting at a desk opposite him across the room, "Can I help you?"

"It's time that we began working on the PR task I scheduled for you."

Ciel let out an overly dramatic sigh, "Fine, for you. Should I get changed?" Sebastian was dressed casually, lanky body flattered by ragged jeans and a grey shirt.

"Unless you want your nice clothes ruined. . ."

"I'd rather not, thanks," Ciel walked out of the main penthouse room towards his closet, unbuttoning his shirt, "What are we doing that requires you to dress like a vagrant?"

"A vagrant? Hardly. What else would you wear for painting?"

Sebastian slowly closed the closet door, sinking down onto the floor, back against the door. Ciel slipped the shirt off, carelessly tossing it to the side. His pale skin was truly flawless, aside from the zig-zagging stitches across his back. Ciel ran his fingers over his chest, feeling the stitches. It filled him with hate, that someone had desired to ruin his body like this. But. . . in a way it was almost beautiful. He slipped off his pants, tossing them aside as well.

Sebastian couldn't help himself. His gaze was firmly fixed upon Ciel's small ass, clad only in boxers.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?" Ciel turned to the side, moving hangers, looking for clothes that were suitable for painting. He felt Sebastian behind him, the taller man pressing into his back as he reached over Ciel's shoulders, "What about this one?" There were two of the same shirt, Sebastian touching the more raggedy one. Ciel's eyes widened, "I forgot about these!"

He pulled it off the hanger, sliding it over his head. It was a black and white shirt emblazoned with the Funtom rabbit silhouette, "The toys are personally one of my favorite branches," he corrected himself, "after confectionery, of course."

"It's a well designed shirt."

Ciel tossed his hair, "Of course it is! I designed it myself!"

Sebastian nodded, "I'm not entirely surprised. Are you fine with possibly getting paint on it?"

"Yeah, it's okay. I can always have more printed up – it's just a shirt." Sebastian found his gaze drifting down to Ciel's pinstriped boxers.

"Are you planning on wearing pants?" Ciel rolled his eyes and grabbed an even more raggedy pair of jeans off the shelf and slid them on.

"Is this satisfactory, Sebastian?"

Sebastian smiled, admiring the way the jeans hugged Ciel's hips and the smallest hint of his navel from beneath the small shirt, "You look wonderful." He caught a slight smile before Ciel rolled his eyes, "Let's go."

"What is it? Do you want to drive?" Sebastian glanced at the boy, who had mistakenly walked to the drivers side.

Ciel laughed nervously, "Trust me, that's an experience that you'll want to avoid."

"Oh, please. I'm sure I can handle it," he clicked his seat belt, now settled in the passengers seat, "I'll direct you."

The other buckle snapped into place, the car starting up with a purr, "Um, let's see. . . that's reverse. . ."

The car jerked backwards and Sebastian began to regret his decision as the Lexus sped out of the parking garage, tires screeching to a halt before a stop sign. Sebastian felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. _I can do this. _

"Take a left." The car sped out, shooting a gap close enough to cause the other driver to honk and slam on his brakes. He glanced over at Ciel to see the boy flip off the driver, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Go right." The car now jerked into the lane over, taking the turn overly fast. Sebastian gasped and was slammed back into the seat as the light in front of them turned red.

"How am I doing?"

"Uh. . ." Sebastian chose not to answer, "Take another left. Then turn into that parking lot."

"Okay," the turn was nicer this time, "The one with the brick wall?"

"That's correct." Ciel slid into a parking space, expertly aligning the car, before slamming on the brakes, Sebastian hitting his head on the dashboard. Ciel turned off the car and glanced over at Sebastian, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," he sat up, rubbing his forehead, "I'll be fine." Crimson eyes narrowed, "Were you doing that on purpose, Ciel?"

"Of course! I'm an expert New York driver!" Ciel laughed, "I like it when you're nervous."

"Don't make it a habit." Sebastian opened the trunk, unloading several cans of paint.

"Hey, I know where we are! This parking lot backs to Lady Victoria's house."

"Lady Victoria?"

"She owns most of Funtom. Like stocks and investment stuff that I don't worry about. She's quite brilliant." _Most likely because she's the incarnation of the Queen of England, _Sebastian thought, the possibility likely.

"Ah, there she is now!" Ciel did smile, "Lady Victoria!" He ran towards a slight middle-aged woman with graying hair, "Did you organize this with Sebastian?"

"I did, if that's the name of your personal assistant," she said with a thick British accent, "He's quite handsome."

"I would be inclined to agree. Sebastian, this is Lady Victoria."

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Where will we be painting?" His arms laden with paint, he gave a slight bow.

"This wall. Since Mr. Phantomhive is quite artistically gifted, I thought it would be nice if you did some advertising here. In a sort of retro style, I suppose."

They went and stood before the wall, "Did you already acquire a permit, Mum?"

"Mum?" asked Sebastian, slightly confused.

"Little Ciel was in my care after his parents passed away, so I'm a sort of mother figure to him," she ruffled his hair affectionally, "and he still calls me Mum, I see."

Ciel sighed, "I have a good idea of what I'd like to draw. Will you be staying?"

"As much as I'd like to, I have an appointment I need to attend to," she walked off, "Have fun!"

"Can I have my sketchbook, Sebastian?" Sebastian passed him the pad of paper and a pencil.

"Do you want to sit on me, rather than the ground?" Ciel nodded, allowing Sebastian to slide under him, the demon pulling him back down, arms wrapped around his waist. They were quiet, the only sound being that of pencil on paper. Sebastian felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out of his pocket, checking the message. It was from the Undertaker, containing Claude's phone number.

"Hm," sighed Sebastian, quickly typing out a message to Claude – _What is your motive? -Sebastian._

"Hm?" Ciel turned sideways, holding out his sketchbook, "First, how does this look? Second, who are you texting?"

It was a simple black and white sketch of the silhouettes of four different mascots representing several of the branches of Funtom. An elegant gothic scroll read _Established 1880_.

"It's excellent, Ciel. I'm texting Claude to see if I can discover what his motives are." Sebastian didn't want to mention texting Claude but that would mean breaking his vow to never lie to Ciel, "Shouldn't it be more promotional, though?"

"I don't think so. It'll get enough attention just like this, I'm sure." Ciel stood up and began to open the cans of paint, "If you don't mind leaving me by myself – and this is a safe area – there's a bakery just around the corner. I want cupcakes, so bring back a good flavor."

Sebastian nodded, "and you're sure you'll be fine by yourself?"

"I can always call the security team. Don't worry about me."

"I'll be back in a moment."

Sebastian walked off, Ciel focusing on painting the wall. He dipped his brush into the black paint and began forming an outline.

"I'll take the strawberry vanilla, the vanilla, the chocolate, the raspberry chocolate, and the chocolate and vanilla." Sebastian passed the cashier his credit card, sighing inwardly at the price. He could easily make the same desserts for Ciel. . .

"Did you hear? Funtom is going to release a new line!" The gossip of two teens caught Sebastian's attention as he waited for the cupcakes to be boxed up.

"I heard something about that too! Isn't it supposed to be clothing?"

"Yeah, I think so. Like, oh my God, look at that guy. He looks like he could be a model for Funtom!"

"You're right! He does! Did you see the most recent pictures of Ciel?"

"He's so cute! I can't stand it!"

Sebastian took his bag with a smile and walked out of the shop, noting that it was a branch of Funtom. Yes, Ciel was extremely cute. That was putting it mildly, he was absolutely wonderful. And he was dating him. It was quite an honor.

"Ah! There you are, Sebastian!" the boy rushed over, grabbing for the treats, "Time for a snack."

Sebastian held the bag out of Ciel's reach, the boy on his tiptoes, "Not unless I get a kiss first."

"You're such a tease. . ."

Their lips collided in a rough kiss, each wrestling for dominance over the other. Ciel realized that he did feel slightly intoxicated by the kiss. Perhaps it was the effect of Sebastian's demonic saliva? It was quite a nice feeling, though. . .

Sebastian broke the kiss, "Help yourself. I got you several different flavors that I thought you might like." He glanced at the wall, "I see you found a ladder."

"M-hm. I was going to ask you to paint those parts, but it was fine."

The black and white were solidly painted, the scrolling gothic print that read _Funtom –_ a flawless piece of art.

"You are quite talented, Ciel."

"Thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian loved the way Ciel said his name, drawing it out, a purr off of his lips. The boy was really enchanting. He pulled Ciel close, who blushed with a smear of chocolate across his lips. Sebastian kissed the frosting off, a too-sweet taste on his tongue. There was a flash of light and Sebastian pulled away from Ciel, surprised. A crew of photographers had appeared, along with a woman, dressed in a tight fitting red suit.

"I work for the _New York Times_. Angelina Durless, journalist. I was wondering if you might have a moment to speak about your newest products." _Ciel's aunt, obviously_, noted Sebastian.

"I do have a moment. However, can I see that camera first?" Angelina nodded, one of the cameramen passing up the offending object. Ciel clicked several buttons and handed the camera back, "You must understand, I don't mix my personal life with my business." He smiled, decreasing the tension, "What questions can I answer for you?"

Sebastian tuned out the interview, interested in watching the photographers taking pictures of the finished advertisement in the mid-afternoon sun. Ciel had reacted to that well, deleting the picture of them kissing without any hesitation. His phone buzzed with the alert of a new e-mail. Sebastian tapped on the attachment, wondering what it contained. He stared at the screen with a smile. It was one of those rare moments where a picture took without a moment's hesitation or thought turned out well. Ciel was looking directly at the camera, his pale skin flushed as Sebastian kissed the side of his mouth. Sebastian looked up from his phone to see Ciel smiling. Actually smiling.

"Are you ready to leave? My work here is done."

Sebastian nodded, "That was a quick interview."

"I suppose. It's not like I could really say anything, though. I like to keep new products secret until they're released." Ciel paused in front of the drivers side, "Do you want me to drive again?"

Sebastian shook his head, "Absolutely not."

Ciel snickered, sinking into the passenger seat, "I understand. Oh, she did ask about you."

The car started up, "She did, now?"

"Yeah. Asked what our relationship was."

"And your response?"

"I said that you were my boyfriend, of course. I then reminded her that I keep my personal life and business life separate."

"I'm both personal and business, though. . ."

"Yeah," Ciel stared out the window, "but they don't need to know that."

Sebastian parked the car slowly and they sat in silence for a bit. Ciel glanced at Sebastian, noticing that he was once again glued to his phone. Was it the picture that he had sent that had enraptured him? It would have been a shame to delete a photograph that turned out as lovely as that one.

"What are you looking at?"

"The beautiful picture you sent me." Sebastian sighed happily, "Let's go inside."

The elevator ride seemed slightly longer this time, other employees entering it on every floor. Sebastian and Ciel were pushed to the back corner, an grumpy look on Ciel's face as he shouted, "Everyone, get off! Use the stairs or something!" The other occupants were startled to hear Ciel's voice and quickly exited at the next stop, muttering apologies. He sighed, sliding the his card through the reader.

"It's been quite a long day." Ciel eyed the bag in Sebastian's hands, "Are you going to simply give me the rest of the cupcakes or am I going to have to kiss you again?"

"I'd like a kiss," they stepped back into the penthouse, Ciel heading directly for his bedroom. He sprawled out on the bed and untied the ribbon to his eyepatch, letting it fall to the ground. Sebastian set the bag on his nightstand, grabbed one of the cupcakes and took a bite, watching Ciel's face fall.

"Don't eat my sweets. . ." Sebastian sat on the bed and took an even more deliberate bite. Ciel reached for the cupcake and Sebastian was ready for that reaction, smearing it all across Ciel's face. He smirked at the dumbfounded CEO, pushing him back into the pillows, "Ah, how much you have changed, Ciel. You would not have hesitated to do that to me, in the past. And then you would continue, like this. . ."

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**Author's Note- It's update/cliffhanger time! If all 100+ of you goobers try to review, I'll continue where I left off. Which means smexy yes mmm.  
Go back and read and review and stuff. I always change stuff, so you have to be careful. IT'S NEVER THE SAME TWICE. **

**REVIEW ALL THE CHAPTERS AND YOU GET UPDATE IN LESS THAN A WEEK AND A HALF. BAM. Good deal? Yeah, I think so. I love all of you. **


	8. Pleasure Before Business

**Author's Note- I would like to dedicate this smut to RoboStorm who is a pleasure to read and funny and shit. **

**Go read Tangled Destinies which is important and I don't know why you wouldn't be reading it too. **

**I WILL UPDATE WHEN SOMEONE DOES REVIEW NUMBER 30 (that's 1 review folks. i believe in you. you can do et) **

**Enjoy, my kittens. **

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Ciel was utterly shocked. And dumbfounded. And any other synonyms that related to the aforementioned emotions, also including that of insult. Ciel felt a little insulted. It wasn't like most people to have the a_udacity _to_ smear a fucking cupcake _over his face. Sebastian grabbed his wrists and pushed the young CEO back into the pillows, his impulse to slap restrained.

"Ah, how much you have changed, Ciel. You would not have hesitated to do that to me, in the past," Sebastian's tone was lazy, as if this was a frequent occurrence, "and then you would continue, like this. . ."

A red tongue flicked out, licking off part of the frosting. Ciel squirmed beneath the heavier man, his tongue rather rough like a cat's, as he systematically cleaned off the chocolate. Heat rose to his face- Ciel wasn't sure if it was from the mildly abrasive pain or if it had to do with the warmth pooling in his pants.

Sebastian moved his hands lower, slipping off Ciel's shirt and tossing it aside. He dabbed a bit of frosting on each pert nipple, noting a slight gasp from Ciel. The boy's breathing quickened when he nipped, rolling the nipple between his teeth, a sweet flavor filling his mouth that was more than just the sugar. He sat up, glancing down at Ciel, pondering if he should. . . Did he dare?

"Mm. . . Sebastian. Are you going to continue or not?"

"Are you giving me permission to?"

"I suppose so. . . yes. I did say to take this in stride but," he quietly cursed, "_Fuck._ Sebastian, you just turn me on."

"I can tell." Sebastian pulled his shirt off, well, ripped off might be a more accurate description for the sound of ripping stitches. Ciel stared. Sebastian was built like a Greek god, chiseled out of pure white skin and muscle. His glance moved further down, to an obvious straining tent in Sebastian's pants. Ciel reached towards it, only to have his hand batted away.

"You can touch later." Sebastian's fingers danced over Ciel's zipper before tugging it downwards and pulling off both pants and boxers in one fluid movement. He hissed as his dick was exposed to the colder air, the length standing proud between his legs. Ciel wanted to look away but couldn't as Sebastian slowly lowered his head. His face burned, this time with excitement. Kisses were trailed down, Sebastian taking his time.

"Ah!" Ciel moaned, fingers enlaced in Sebastian's hair, a warm, no, _hot_ mouth wrapped around the head. Sebastian slid further down, sucking gently to begin. His heart began to race, breathing doing the same, as Sebastian bobbed his head, it hitting the back of his throat with each movement.

"Mm. . . f- fuck Sebastian!" groans escaped his mouth as Sebastian picked up the pace. He stopped for a moment, letting it slide out of his mouth. Sebastian lifted the boy, switching places and positioning him over his ready mouth, "I want to swallow all of you. . ."

Ciel gulped, as Sebastian flicked out his tongue and sucked him in once more. It felt. . . heavenly. Every bit of his organ was massaged by expert lips and tongue before pulled back into Sebastian's throat. He gasped, seeing stars. Ciel took a deep breath and then another. His breath caught, "F-fuck!" He was getting so close. . . he could feel it beginning to twitch. . .

"_Sebasti- Ah!_" the sound ripped from his throat, pure ecstasy washing over him as he came, spurting into Sebastian's now open mouth, white drops catching on the side of his lips. Ciel inhaled deeply, watching Sebastian's adam's apple as he swallowed, and heard the echo of a wheeze. _Not now oh God not now. _His eyes widened as it became incredibly difficult to breath, throat constricted.

Sebastian pulled him in for another kiss but stopped a breath away from his lips, listening to Ciel's labored breathing, "Ciel? Are you alright?" Sweat ran down his face, as he gasped for air.

"I- in- inhaler," Ciel tried not to panic, frantically gesturing to his bedside drawer. Sebastian moved off the boy, helping him to sit up, and opened the drawer. He pulled out the L-shaped device, Ciel grabbing it from his hand. He inserted it into his mouth pressing down the top with a _hiss_. Ciel let out a sigh a few seconds later, breathing eased.

"Ciel. . ." Sebastian had the most sincere look of concern plastered over his face.

"Hah," Ciel panted, "I'm fine. Ah, fuck, Sebastian. Your skillful mouth gave me a fuckin' asthma attack."

"Same as ever." Sebastian rested his chin on his hand, "are you sure you're fine? I can take you to a doctor."

"More of your stupid Shinigami? I think I'll pass, yeah."

Sebastian sighed, "I don't think you understand- that was terrifying. I don't want you to stop breathing on me now. . ."

Ciel laughed, "Sebastian, you're cute. First, I would just pass out. And then I would be fine. God, if you brought me to the emergency room," he imitated Sebastian's deep voice, " 'Uh, he passed out while we were having mad sex' " a wide smile spread across his face, "that would acually be hilarious. Though, I didn't really take you for a bottom."

"Bottom?" Sebastian was confused, "What, me sucking you makes me a bottom automatically? Harsh. And I top, thank you."

"I'd rather not bottom," Ciel drawled, rubbing his hand over the PA's crotch, "this does feel rather big. I don't think I could handle all of it. . ."

Sebastian pressed his hand over Ciel's, encouraging the younger man, blood rushing down from his head, "Why don't we find out?" There was a loud buzz, a black cell falling onto the floor from the nightstand.

"Aw fuck," Ciel leaned off the bed, reaching for the cell phone, "Phantomhive here."

Sebastian stared at the slight ass, sticking invitingly up into the air. He resisted the strong temptation to grope the perky mounds, instead listening to the one side of the conversation that he could hear.

"Uh huh. Yeah. Really? That soon? Models? A mascot? Of course. I know several attractive people. I can have all of that done by tomorrow, I guess. This Saturday sounds doable. Why not? It sounded like a good idea. Fine, have your way. I've got a wonderful plan. Don't worry. I'm feeling much better, thank you. Psychopath is right. 'Kay, bye." Ciel sighed, "Ah, work before pleasure. Or is it pleasure before work? Anyway, Sebby-"

"Please don't call me that. . ."

Ciel pouted, "Fine, Sea Bass. You hell of a fish."

Sebastian snickered, pressing a hand to his face, "That's terrible. You can do better."

"Sub. Like sub woofers 'cause your voice is so deep."

"Keep trying."

Ciel rolled mismatched eyes, "whatever. I like your full name better, anyways."

"You were saying?"

"Well, my new product line is clothing," he pressed a finger against Sebastian's lips, "shush, don't tell anyone. Or else I'll have to kill you. I have to create a mascot for the branch. I also need to find some super-hot people to model the clothes at the press conference on Saturday. I was thinking you and that Grell chick- guy- whatever. And that Lizzy bi-atch."

"Lizzy?" Sebastian chuckled to himself. _He cusses so much when aroused. _

"Yeah, that girl who I thought might be a good idea for a PA. She kissed me. Oh, it was so gross. I practically threw up. And died. On the spot."

"If that's who you want, then have at it. I must say, Grell does look splendid in dresses."

Ciel stared open-mouthed at Sebastian, "and how would you know this odd bit of information?"

"When you get to know someone well enough, you learn _everything_. He'd do it too and be thrilled."

Ciel wrinkled his nose, "were you a 'thing' with him?"

"For a little while, yes." Sebastian sighed, "I'd rather not think or talk about it."

"Then shall we get to work?

It was getting quite late when Sebastian glanced up from his keyboard, sending off yet another e-mail. The young CEO was slumped over his desk, head resting on a stack of papers. Sebastian set his computer down and walked over to Ciel. He removed the paper under Ciel's ink stained hand, noting the art. He had chosen a dog for the new mascot, a long scruffy face and short tail shown in the black silhouette.

Sebastian smiled, turning Ciel's chair around, and lifted the sleeping boy into his arms, "Time for bed, my love." He carried him effortlessly to the bed room, resting the sleeping form on the bed while he glanced through the closet for a pair of pajamas. Crimson eyes widened and, although he knew it was asking for trouble, selected the pair that stood out to him most. He undressed and dressed Ciel (as he had done countless times before) and pulled the covers over the sleeping boy.

It wasn't much longer until Ciel felt the now-familiar body heat of his boyfriend warm up the bed. He snuggled closer, happy as the older man intertwined their fingers. Sleep came quickly for the both of them.

Ciel woke up to an empty bed. He blinked, looking around for the familiar stalker/boyfriend. Sebastian was nowhere in sight. Skinny arms stretched out as Ciel tried to wake up, sliding out of bed and heading to the washroom. He went through his morning routine, ignoring his reflection until the very end. A rare smile graced the CEO's face as he began to hold a conversation with himself,

"Good morning, handsome. You look stunning as ever. Not that you'd look anything but. You perfect male, you," Ciel took a good look at his clothes, scowling, "and the only person I like more than myself has rather scandalous taste in pajamas." He was dressed in a small half of a tank top that revealed his navel, tiny shorts connected to garter-belts that held up a pair of knee-high socks, "At least my feet are warm. However," the smile returned, "damn, Ciel, you look amazing. . ." He ruffled his navy hair with a sigh, "I do wonder where that Sebastian has got to." Ciel noticed a note by his bedside as he pulled himself reluctantly away from the mirror. Paper crinkled in his hands as he leaned back onto the bed to read the note.

_I've gone to run a few errands. You were right- I should check on my apartment. Please don't leave Funtom without me. I am rather worried about your safety. You look sexy in those clothes. Ah, I'll stop before I get too distracted._

_Sebastian_

"Errands? Well, I've got to finish up the stuff for the new line anyways, so it should be fine," Ciel grumbled, "but so boring."

Sebastian slumped back onto his own bed, taking a moment to stare at the antique ring Ciel had requested he wear. A buzz from his cell phone snapped him back to the present from memories of the past. Crimson eyes widened. The message was from Claude.

_I'll explain, if that would help matters. _

Sebastian prepared to type but another message interrupted-

_I'll come alone and unarmed_.

_Fine, _Sebastian replied, _I can agree to that much. I will not hesitate to kill you if you are lying. _

_Of course. Meet me in the English Garden in Central Park in an hour. _

_I'll be there. _

Sebastian headed straight to his car- determined to get some answers and to be the first one there.

Central Park was a distance away from Funtom but traffic was thankfully light. In a general sense, as the streets were still packed with cars. Sebastian found an ideal parking spot only a few blocks from the garden. He quickly walked the rest of the way, following several signs. Although summer was ending, the foliage was still green and the flowers still colorful. It was easy to spot the spot of darkness among the colors.

The two demons were about the same height. Any simple human passerby could mistake them for brothers (which they weren't). Claude still wore simple black glasses over his golden eyes. Not much had changed in a hundred years.

"Thank you for meeting me, Claude."

"Sebastian Michaelis. I see you're still up to your old games."

"As are you. Why do you still have interest in my Ciel?"

"It's because of Alois," Claude sighed, ruffling black hair.

"Somehow I find myself unsurprised. Do tell what Alois wants."

"I'll tell you this so you don't repeat my mistakes. I turned him to a demon and then attempted to consume his soul. It went. . . wrong, to say the least, and he was turned back into a human. I tried once more to turn him back and it worked. However, he's unstable. Even more so, as proven by the incident with Ciel."

"I knew you were thick, Claude," Sebastian sighed, rubbing his temples, "but honestly, I didn't think you were this stupid. Human souls are delicate. They cannot be stretched like ours."

"I know that now. I have a theory that a part of Ciel's soul may be able to stabilize Alois. The combination of both of their strong souls could balance out the remainder of Alois's soul and return him to a balanced state of being."

"A soul doesn't 'grow' back. I cannot allow you to do that to my Ciel."

Claude narrowed his eyes, "Then I will take it by force."

Sebastian smirked, "I'd like to see you try."

Claude's expression changed once more, the demon glancing towards the grass, "But now is not the time, Michaelis. Mark my words, I will get what I desire."

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**Author's Note- Let me express my hatred for Claude. Okay, I don't really hate him. Actually, nope. I do hate him. So there's my stance on that. Sorry Claude lovers. **

**One more review and I will update. **

**Thank yoooou~**


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